Stella Penn (book character)
For the character from the movie, see Stella Yamada. Stella Penn: Stella Penn is the ukulele player and leader. Although a rebel, Stella thrives to get attention from her family, particulary her mother and her stuck-up, academic, seemingly perfect older sister, Clea. A dislexic, Stella constantly thinks she's stupid, unaware that she is smart in her own way. Personality: Stella's character comes off as a rebellious, loud, witty, quirky tomboy who comes from a family of geniuses. Although rebellious, Stella almost always shows her softer, sweeter side to her friends, who know that she always does good and means well. Olivia is hinted to be Stella's favorite. Stella never considers herself a girly girl or as "one of the guys;" she's stuck in the middle, which is just fine with her because she knows she's down-to-earth and is never afraid to be herself. It is hinted that Stella is a devout Christian and part Italian, as "Stella" means "Star" in Italian. Although she appears to be tougher than your average teenager, Stella is actually very lonely inside and her one wish is that her family spend time with her. Stella is a diva at heart and she knows it, but at the same time, her caring, sweeter, softer side will show, as she will offer a shoulder to cry on whenever someone needs comfort or just simply an open ear. Appearance: Before the book, Stella had long dark hair, but in a fit of rage, she chops it all off and dyes it green. She is very tall and has a tomboyish style. She's the quirkiest one and prefers to throw together vintage concert T's with studded boots and leather skirts, and, on some occasions, dark colored dresses with spiked dog collar choakers and fishnet stockings rather than fallowing what other girls her age wear. Sure, the popular girls make it look cool, but she makes it look even cooler. Stella's style shows that she doesn't care what other people think about her because she's cool, attractive and comfortable with who is really is. Story Lines: Early Life: Before the book, Stella is introduced as a stylish, funky, rebellious, independent, vegan rocker chick who has a strong passion for her music and is from a wealthy family. She is originally from Arizona, but is forced to move to a lame-ass small town in Rhode Island, which quips her anger, as she ''wasn't included in any family discussions about moving all of a sudden. Stella has a bad relationship with her older sister, who mocks Stella behind her back. Constantly thinking she's dumb, she has no confidence with homework, math or English, due to a bad IQ score. She and her mother had a best-friend type of relationship, but it begins to suffer when the family moves. Stella's mom and dad are also divorced and her mother married a millionare named Leonard. In the book, she swaps her electric guitar for a ukulele. 'Book 1:' Stella is introduced as the new girl in school from Arizona. After Mr. Brenigan, the school's stern vice-principal, bans her favorite T-shirt because it's innapropriate, she fights back by distrupting an entire school assembly, earning a week of detention for her actions. In detention, Stella and the others (Olivia Whitehead, a painfully shy, over-weight girl with depression issues, Wen Gifford, a kid with divorced parents, Charlie Hirsh, a confused kid who is misunderstood by his peers, and Mo Banerjee, a popular, smart, beautiful girl) start fooling around by playing a song heard on a radio comercial. Expecting to be in trouble, the five are called down to the music teacher's class room, where Mrs. Reznik wants them to form a band. Stella claims that she's not much of a joiner, but after some time of thinking, she manages to get the others together and form the band. Stella learns how to work in groups and that not everything has to go her way. Stella's rebellious nature makes Charlie and Mo weary of her, but she later gains their respect when she jumps in to defend the two of them when they are attacked by Ray Beech, the school bully and a member of a rival band Mudslide Crush, for telling him to stop harassing Olivia. After spitting her lemonade in Ray's face, they decide to use "Lemonade Mouth" as their band name. A few days before the Bash, the Mel's machine gets removed from the school, and Stella learns it's because of a deal with the new scoreboard. On the night of the Bash, the band waits for Olivia to show up. Stella, Wen and Charlie eventually find Olivia, who is in the bathroom, throwing up. As Stella makes an attempt to comfort Olivia (You could see her saying, "I'm scared, too, but please, Olivia, don't back out now.") Mudslide Crush goes on first. On stage, Olivia forgets the words to the first song, so Stella has them start over, as an excuse to let Olivia calm down. The audience loves their music, surprised at how different it is. Afterwards, Stella makes a speach and the band performs a song written by her, but halfway through it, Mr. Brenigan shuts them down. On Halloween, it is learned that one of Olivia's cats, Nancy, died, so Stella and the others arrive to comfort her by holding a funeral for the cat. Stella later admits that she thinks she's stupid because she claims that no matter what she does, it doesn't work the way it's supposed to. On Monday, Stella and the others are called down to Brenigan's office. As Brenigan begins to act racist, cold and traumatic towards them, Stella opens to her mouth to defend her friends, saying they are just trying to do the right thing. Brenigan, of course, doesn't see her logic, and forbids them from playing in the Holiday Talent Show, leaving Stella heartbroken, although the others continue to support her to not give up. Later, Stella and her mom attempt to reconnect with one another by going to Paperback Joe's for coffee. They end up leaving early because Mrs. Penn has to get back to the lab. Later, with the help of A.V Club nerd, Lyle Dwarkin, Lemonade Mouth performs regularly at Bruno's Pizza Planet, and Stella even insists that they sign up for popular local music contest, Catch a RI-Zing Star, which they do. Later, after a huge disaster at Bruno's, Stella and her mother's all-ready-strained relationship begins to suffer when Stella learns that the Mel's Organic Frozen Lemonade machine from the Opequonsett Middle School is going to be removed. Stella and her mother begin to fight about standing up for what one believes in, because Stella's mom is going to quit doing the buy-degradable plastic of plants project because the results aren't coming out good and some investors weren't seeing any progress, so they left, meaning the family might move back to Arizona as Stella wanted. Stella realizes she belongs in Rhode Island with her friends because the she, Olivia, Mo, Wen and Charlie are inseperable, because of her. Stella says she would never give up because the lemonade issue is something worth fighting for. She accidently loses her temper, saying, "I'd rather be a dummy with a heart than a genius without a back-bone!" and storms out of the house, heartbroken that her mom is giving up so easily. On her way to the middle school, in the snow, she contacts her friends one by one, and the five of them, four in bad shape, lie down in from of the truck, even Mo, who is sick with a hundred and two degree fever. Police arrive and the group is arrested. In the car, Stella's mother appologizes to Stella about not spending enough time with her and loves her no matter what. Instead of going home, Stella's mother drives her to Catch a RI-Zing Star to let her daughter make Lemonade Mouth into something everybody should be proud of. At the competition, Stella's ukulele breaks just before the band has to go on stage. After they fail to play their song "Back Among the Walls," they start to leave, humiliated. The audience then begins to sing "Back Among the Walls" in honer of Lemonade Mouth, and gives the band a standing ovation of love and respect. At the end of the book, Stella and her family have reconciled their differences: Stella becomes a better step-sister and role model to Tim and Andy, learns to accept her step-dad, Leonard, gains respect of her older sister, Clea, and rekindles her friendship with her mom. The story ends with Stella telling the others that she has dislexia and that's the reason why she's been doing so poorly in school, and she and the others celebrate. Quotes: What about freedom of expression? Now, I enjoy soda as much as the next person, but I don't like it when someone is using me as their own personal pawn. I'm scared, too, but please, Olivia, don't back out now. My shirt, my decision! Okay, don't let your school take away your rights! We'd like to talk about. . . . Lemonade. (''to Olivia) Are you all right? Listen, Olivia. If you don't want to say anymore, you don't have to. The problem is I'm not much of a joiner.